


A Shot in the Arm

by Halrloprillalar (prillalar), prillalar



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M, momokai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-08
Updated: 2007-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-02 02:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prillalar/pseuds/Halrloprillalar, https://archiveofourown.org/users/prillalar/pseuds/prillalar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rivalry is easy. Dating is hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Shot in the Arm

"Good idea," Momoshiro said. "Faking a torn shirt to come back in here."

"I didn't fake it." Kaidoh pulled his gym shirt over his head. "It ripped when I caught it on the gate." He reached for his racquet but Momoshiro caught his wrist.

"Sure. Just after I broke my shoelace."

"I wasn't paying attention," Kaidoh said. "I was practising."

"Whatever." Momoshiro rolled his eyes. "So long as we're here." He stepped in and kissed Kaidoh.

Kaidoh closed his eyes and shifted his feet so he wouldn't lose his balance. Momoshiro pushed in closer and Kaidoh put his hand on the back of Momoshiro's neck, over the bumps of his spine. He opened his mouth and leaned into another kiss, and another.

He really hadn't faked his torn shirt. But it was awfully convenient.

Something crashed against the side of the clubhouse, rattling the window. Kaidoh's heart tried to claw through his chest and run. Kaidoh pushed Momoshiro away. "Not here." He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Idiot."

"It was just a stray ball." Momoshiro reached for Kaidoh again. Kaidoh knocked his hand down. "Ow! Bastard."

"We'll get caught."

"No we won't." Momoshiro made a big-eyed pouting face that he probably thought was cute. And maybe his mother thought so, but not Kaidoh. Definitely not. Momoshiro leaned in, closer, eyes fixed on Kaidoh's. "Come on."

_So not cute,_ Kaidoh thought as he caught Momoshiro's shoulder and dragged him up and kissed him and got madder and madder the longer he couldn't let go. "We can't," he said, against Momoshiro's mouth. "Not in here." He shoved Momoshiro off and turned his back. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to control his breathing.

"You're no fun," Momoshiro said but at least it wasn't in Kaidoh's ear, leaning over his shoulder, trying to get him to change his mind. "No fun at all."

And that was no more than what Momoshiro said to anyone who didn't let him get his way. But the words buried into Kaidoh like insects, wriggling coldly in his belly, stinging with their pointed tails. Kaidoh dug his fingers into his arms.

"It's a rule," Kaidoh said. "No...kissing in the clubhouse."

"Whose rule?"

"My rule!"

"Why do you get to make the rules?" Momoshiro banged something. "Then I get to make one too."

"Like what?"

"Um...no telling anyone about us."

"Obviously," Kaidoh said. Another sting.

"And whoever breaks a rule gets punched in the arm."

Kaidoh couldn't help turning around at that, to see the grin on Momoshiro's face. He punched Momoshiro's arm.

"Hey!" Momoshiro rubbed the spot. "That was before the rule. Anyhow, you kissed me too."

"Fine. Go ahead." Momoshiro slugged Kaidoh just above the elbow, a lot harder than he needed to. Kaidoh shook out his arm. "Are you trying to cripple me so I can't play? Punches on the left arm only."

"I guess so. But I get to make another rule." Momoshiro screwed up his face for a moment. "Okay, no kissing anyone else."

"Obviously," Kaidoh said again and that one didn't sting at all. "Come on," he said and picked up his racquet.

Momoshiro tripped over his untied shoelace and fell flat on his face. He swore.

Kaidoh wanted to help him up, but he couldn't take Momoshiro's hand or else he'd break rule number one again for sure.

+

"No taking my lunch." Kaidoh pulled his lunch-box out of Momoshiro's reach.

"You can't make a rule about that!" Momoshiro grabbed but only managed to jog Kaidoh's arm.

"Sure I can."

Momoshiro rubbed his chin. "It might be worth a shot in the arm for your mother's cooking."

"One hit per bite."

"That's what I should be giving you." Momoshiro pulled the collar of his shirt to the side so Kaidoh could see the smudge of purple and red. "I had to change for gym in the toilets."

"Well, stop flashing it, asshole." Kaidoh couldn't help remembering crowding Momoshiro back into the supply closet, the smell of paper and Momoshiro's hair wax, the way Momoshiro just gave Kaidoh his throat, bent back for his mouth, twisting his fingers in Kaidoh's shirt, shoving his hand down Kaidoh's--

"No marks," Momoshiro said, like he didn't even care. "It's a rule."

"Fine," Kaidoh said. "We shouldn't even be having lunch together."

"Fine." Momoshiro stood. He was outside the shade of the tree and the sun made it hard to see his face. "Rule seven--"

"Eight."

"Rule whatever: no lunch together."

"Fine," Kaidoh said. "Then I'll get all I want to eat for a change."

"Fine." Momoshiro stalked away and Kaidoh opened his lunch. Halfway through, he'd had enough.

+

"Excuse me, senpai." Kaidoh pulled his mobile out of his pocket, careful not to break his stride. "Hello?" He hoped Inui wouldn't be annoyed about having his lecture on unforced errors interrupted. Inui always said you should be able to carry on a conversation while you were running but Inui's conversations normally didn't leave much room for more than the occasional "yes" from Kaidoh.

"Hey, what's up?" Momoshiro's voice was so loud, Kaidoh was sure Inui could hear every word. "So, I was in class today and the teacher was droning on about history and this guy, Kouya, had a spider crawling on his back. And then the girl who sits behind him--"

"This isn't a good time," Kaidoh said.

"Jeez, it's never a good time." Momoshiro was always calling Kaidoh up to talk, which meant Momoshiro going on about whatever had happened in school that day or the trick his little sister had pulled on him or how he beat the latest level of Deathtrial 7. In some ways, it was a lot like Kaidoh's conversations with Inui, only less informative. It was nice sometimes to just let Momoshiro go on like that, when Kaidoh could lie back and close his eyes and only half-listen. Lately, though, Momoshiro had been calling him when he was out training with Inui.

"Then stop calling at bad times, asshole."

"Ask Momoshiro what type of spider it was," Inui said. "Some varieties are quite poisonous."

"New rule," Momoshiro said. "No calling me an asshole." The line went dead. Inui started talking about unforced errors again. Kaidoh put the phone away.

After Inui had gone, Kaidoh scrolled through his contact list to Momoshiro's name. He stood for a few moments with his thumb over the "call" button. Then he wrote a text message instead. _Rule 14: no calling Tuesday or Thursday between 5-7 pm. After 7 is okay._

At home, Kaidoh did his homework with his mobile on the table beside him. But it didn't ring, even though it was after seven.

+

"I want to talk to you," Kaidoh said. Momoshiro looked up, shading his eyes with his hand. He was lolling under a tree with some boys from his class.

"Here I am," Momoshiro said, like he didn't know what Kaidoh really meant. He grinned and blew a blade of grass out of his mouth.

"Asshole." Well, if he didn't want to, he didn't want to. The insects skittered in Kaidoh's stomach again and he turned to leave.

"Mamushi, wait!" Momoshiro jumped to his feet. "You forgot this." He slugged Kaidoh in the arm.

Kaidoh wanted to hit him back, but Momoshiro hadn't broken any rules. He wanted to shove Momoshiro away, to pull him in. He wanted to not be this confused all the time, a bruised arm and a bellyful of bugs. "Are you coming or not?"

"As long as I'm up." Momoshiro slung an arm over Kaidoh's shoulders and that was against the rules, but Kaidoh thought he'd save the punch for later, after they were done in the supply closet.

+

Kaidoh checked himself in the mirror again. He'd buttoned his collar all the way, but it still wasn't high enough. He got the jar of concealer out from under the shirts in his drawer and put more on. It helped. Probably. Stupid Momoshiro. And he was the one who made the rule against leaving marks.

Kaidoh pulled his hair forward, over his neck, but it kept falling back. Useless. Maybe he should get a more fashionable cut, like the girl at the make-up counter had suggested. Maybe he'd look less boring. Maybe he'd seem less boring. Maybe then Momoshiro would show up, like he was supposed to, instead of blowing Kaidoh off.

There was no rule about Sundays. It was just something that they did, every week, or the last three weeks, anyhow. In the morning, Kaidoh's family always went on some sort of outing together. Then in the afternoon, his dad went golfing and his mother took Hazue to music lessons. And when they were all out of the house, Momoshiro came over.

They had about forty minutes undisturbed, give or take, for sucking face and groping and messy hand jobs. Afterwards, they would watch TV or go out for tennis or just lie on the floor, half-awake or less, arguing drowsily over who got the best patch of sun.

But it was already half an hour and Momoshiro wasn't there. Kaidoh didn't know if he should be angry at Momoshiro for being late or worried that he'd been hit by a bus or wondering if he just didn't want to come over at all.

Kaidoh opened his mobile and stared at it for a while. Then he jabbed Momoshiro's speed dial. "Where are you?" he said when Momoshiro answered.

"Well..." The doorbell rang.

"Asshole." Kaidoh dropped the phone on the table and ran downstairs to open the door. Momoshiro punched him on the arm. "I hate that fucking rule."

"The rules were your idea, Mamushi." Momoshiro shrugged.

"Where were you?"

"I'm here now." Momoshiro dropped his bag. He didn't look at Kaidoh, he didn't smile like he usually did. A car pulled up outside: Kaidoh's mother and brother.

"Let's watch TV," Kaidoh said.

"If it's that late, I should go," Momoshiro said. And he went.

+

Kaidoh's arm didn't hurt. He had a bruise on his back from a mop handle and a sticky handkerchief in his pocket. His thighs ached from doubling his step-running. But he hadn't taken any of Momoshiro's punches for three days now.

Something was weird. Well, a lot of things were weird and had been for a while. But now they were weirder. That asshole kept blowing Kaidoh off: on Sunday, on Wednesday when Kaidoh even offered to hang out after practice for a while. "I'm busy," he said, and ran out the door as soon as he was changed. And he was the one who used to bug Kaidoh to hang out all the time, even when he knew Kaidoh had training to do.

_Asshole, fucking asshole._ Kaidoh stabbed at his palm with his pen and now that hurt too, six blue marks of pain. If all he was getting from this was a grope in a dark room, he didn't need Momoshiro for that. _Fuck._ He stabbed again. _Fuck._

+

Kaidoh stared at his homework, which he'd finished half an hour ago. His mobile was on the table next to it, and he knew that if he looked at it directly, it would never ring. Unless it was turned off by mistake. He opened it up. And it rang.

But it was the wrong ring-tone. Kaidoh thought about letting it go to voicemail, but that didn't seem right, so he answered and let Inui talk at him for twenty minutes about how to improve Kaidoh's net play. Kaidoh knew he wouldn't really get it until they actually tried it, so he didn't even bother to pay attention.

Inui probably knew what Momoshiro was up to, why he ran off after practice every day. But Kaidoh didn't want Inui to know about them, if he didn't already, and anyhow, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

When Inui finally rang off, Kaidoh checked for missed calls. He threw the phone down on the couch. He looked at the TV screen, blank and grey. On top of the TV was a little yellow plastic duck that used to hang on Momoshiro's phone and had fallen off one day in Kaidoh's room. Kaidoh was going to give it back on Sunday, but then--

Kaidoh grabbed the phone and dialled. "It's me," he said, when Momoshiro answered.

"Hey," Momoshiro said and he didn't sound that weird. "What's up?"

"Nothing." There was silence for a moment and maybe it was a bit weird after all. "What's up with you?"

"Doing homework. Is your math assignment the same as mine?"

"I'm not going to give you homework answers."

"Come on, Kaidoh, please? I'm already four days behind."

Kaidoh didn't want to, but there was something in Momoshiro's voice that was like a finger through his belt-loop, pulling him in. "Just a minute," he said and put the phone down. He looked through his homework and leafed back in his math notebook to the beginning of the week.

He picked up the phone. "Okay." There was no answer, just noisy breathing. "Momoshiro?" Then a thump, like Momoshiro had dropped the phone. The idiot was asleep.

Kaidoh dropped his own phone. _Asshole, fucking fucking asshole._ He didn't need this, Kaidoh didn't need to be blown off and dicked around anymore. First thing tomorrow, he was going to give Momoshiro what for and then it would be over.

Over. Done. Taken care of. Good. He grabbed the duck from the television and threw it in the trash. Over. Good.

He went to bed but the insects in his stomach kept him awake until three.

+

Kaidoh didn't know how to break it off. He couldn't just walk into Momoshiro's classroom and tell him. He couldn't write a note or send a text. He'd have to get him somewhere private and tell him. And then maybe beat the hell out of him.

At noon, he left his lunch-box in his desk and went out to find the asshole. But the asshole found him first. Momoshiro ducked out from the shadows and grabbed Kaidoh by the arm. "Come on," he said, and pulled him into the closet.

Kaidoh opened his mouth to say, _Not now, not ever._ But Momoshiro kissed him and Kaidoh couldn't help but kiss him back. It was good and bad, right and wrong, and Kaidoh felt more confused and angry than ever. Momoshiro threw back his head and Kaidoh sank into his neck, pulled his collar back, and gave him the hardest, darkest suck mark that he could. He hoped it hurt.

+

He decided to do it after practice. To keep Momoshiro from running off, Kaidoh took his bag and hid it in his own cubby, behind his things. Then he waited for ten minutes while everyone else changed and left and Momoshiro ran around accusing everyone but him of stealing his bag for a prank.

And then they were all gone and it was just them. Kaidoh threw the bag at Momoshiro.

Momoshiro grinned. "You're always finding an excuse to keep me in here. But you're the one who made the rule." He took a step towards Kaidoh. "Okay, but I'll have to punch you in the arm afterwards."

_We're not doing this anymore,_ Kaidoh meant to say. _You fucking asshole._ But there was big dumb Momoshiro with his big dumb face and his big dumb grin and it wasn't insects stinging anymore, more like a stomachful of broken glass, gutting him from the inside out, because Momoshiro just didn't care and Kaidoh did, he cared so much it made his whole body hurt.

The door opened and Oishi came in. "Are you two ready to go? I have to lock up."

"I'm just leaving," Momoshiro said and picked up his bag. Because he didn't care, he didn't fucking care, and Kaidoh couldn't take it anymore.

So Kaidoh grabbed Oishi by the shoulders and kissed him. When he let go, Oishi staggered back. Kaidoh turned to Momoshiro. "Okay," he said. "Now you can punch me in the arm."

Momoshiro punched him in the face.

Kaidoh didn't even feel it until he was on the floor. He'd been in fights before, rough fights, but he'd never taken a punch like that. The pain stabbed through his cheek and back through his brain. And then Momoshiro was on top of him.

Kaidoh got his arms up to shield himself. He tried to roll and got half out from under, then twisted to hit Momoshiro back.

"You're playing me," Momoshiro said. He punched at Kaidoh's head, at his shoulders. "I knew you were fucking playing me."

Kaidoh shoved Momoshiro off and got in a blow to the chest. "Like you'd even care."

"Me?" Momoshiro lurched to his feet and kicked Kaidoh in the ribs. "You're the one with all the fucking rules. Don't call me, don't sit with me, don't ever fucking come near me if anybody else might be around."

Kaidoh grabbed Momoshiro's leg and pulled him over, then crawled on top and pinned Momoshiro to the floor, knees on his shoulders, hands on his wrists. "No," he said. "You're the one who blows me off. You don't care, you fucking asshole, so long as you get--"

Momoshiro was panting, but his face was white. "I care," he said. "You fucking stupid idiot bastard snake. I like you, okay? I like you. I like you."

Kaidoh felt the blood drain out of his face and then rush back, twice as hot. And happiness like another blow that rattled his bones and weakened his knees. "I--" he said and stopped. _I like you too,_ he wanted to say, but he couldn't make the words come out of his mouth.

"I have a part-time job, okay?" Momoshiro said. "That's why I'm busy right now. I didn't think you'd even notice."

"I--" Kaidoh tried again. He tightened his fingers around Momoshiro's wrists and moved his knees back to straddle Momoshiro's chest.

"You what?"

"I--" Kaidoh took a deep breath. "I can't say it. Don't make me say it." Momoshiro grinned. Kaidoh kissed him. And he would have done it again if he hadn't heard a strangled sound from behind them.

Kaidoh jumped away from Momoshiro and stood up. Oishi's face was bright red and his mouth was open. Kaidoh stared at the floor. They'd been found out and they were in trouble and, fuck, he'd _kissed_ Oishi-fukubuchou.

"You two," Oishi said and even though he looked like he would have an aneurysm any minute, his voice was calm, even steely. "Remember that it's against the rules to have a part-time job." He didn't say any more and Kaidoh didn't want to hear any more.

"I'm sorry," he said and Momoshiro said and he said again and then they got the hell out of there.

+

"Shit, I'm late!" Momoshiro said and started to jog. Kaidoh followed him. "How much trouble do you think we're in?"

Kaidoh shrugged. Of everyone who could have found them, Oishi was probably the least likely to say anything to anyone. So long as they didn't get caught again. "Why do you have a job?" he said.

Momoshiro turned pink. "I lost a bet. Last Sunday, when I was on my way over, I cut through the street courts and ran into that guy from St Rudolph, Mizuki. He challenged me to a duel and so of course I couldn't back down. Not like I'd lose to him.

"But then he didn't even want to play tennis! He said we were playing shougi which I don't even know how to play. So, I lost and now I have to buy him a new racquet or I have to transfer schools."

Kaidoh couldn't help it. He laughed until he almost couldn't run. Trust that idiot to get himself into trouble like that.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you'd laugh at me." Momoshiro punched Kaidoh in the arm.

Kaidoh punched him back. "I can lend you some money."

"That's okay, I only have to work for two more weeks to raise the cash." Momoshiro grinned. "But you can lend me your homework."

"Asshole."

Momoshiro punched him again, then slowed down. "We're here." A little café. "You're not going to come in, are you?"

"You're a waiter?"

"Sort of." Momoshiro shrugged.

"Aren't there child labour laws?"

"Probably. So, Rule 100: don't come in the café." Momoshiro looked down for a moment, then back up at Kaidoh. "Sorry about your face."

"It's okay." Actually, it hurt like bloody hell, but Kaidoh didn't mind because he was just too happy. "If you come over after dinner, you can copy my homework."

"Thanks!" Momoshiro gave Kaidoh one last punch before he went inside.

Kaidoh ran home and got changed. He fished the plastic duck out of the trash and hung it on his own phone. Then he went back to the café to make Momoshiro serve him a coffee.

That was probably worth a shot in the arm.


End file.
